It's Alive

Rating:
Summary: The Real Problem with the Davies Baby Is...It's Alive!
Review: Prolific cult-flick auteur Larry Cohen delivered one of his first B-grade horror hits with this tale of a mutant baby who goes on a murderous rampage immediately after emerging from the womb of his seemingly normal middle-class mom. As with all of his genre films, IT'S ALIVE demonstrates Cohen's skill in using the fright format to address important issues. While not as bitingly satirical as 1985's THE STUFF, Cohen's jab at the marketing and advertising industry, this flick nonetheless offers deep and clever--and still surprisingly germane--comments on unplanned pregnancy, chemical-based birth control, and the negative effects that pollution and environmental toxins may be having on the unborn.

Also skillful is Cohen's ability to convey his social message while simultaneously delivering the genre goods to full effect. The terrifying titular character seemingly lurks around every corner and generates goosebumps aplenty, yet Cohen actually keeps the bloodthirsty bambino--make-up effects for which were created by Oscar-winning FX man Rick Baker--off camera most of the time, thereby creating suspense and shocks that make the climactic scenes pay off even better.

Some critics have faulted IT'S ALIVE by claiming it's an insult to audience intelligence in asking viewers to accept the idea of such a nefariously necrotic neonate. But genuine genre fans will dismiss this criticism in light of the long tradition of murderous moppets in the movies, a tradition that includes classics such as VILLAGE OF THE DAMNED (1960), ROSEMARY'S BABY (1968), THE EXORCIST (1973), and THE OMEN (1976), to name just a few.

All in all, IT'S ALIVE is a worthy genre entry that will delight horror fans and Cohen fans alike. The DVD version from Warner Home Video is well worth the price of admission, offering a very good widescreen transfer of the flick and some cool extras that include a delightful feature commentary from Cohen himself.

Rating:
Summary: Terrible.
Review: This movie is rotten. It's not scary enough to be a legitimate horror movie or funny enough to be a comedy. Instead, it's like a bad high school film project. Stiff acting, long boring periods where nothing interesting is going on, and a dopey looking monster baby puppet straight from the corner toy store. However, I did sympathize with the anguished cries of the monster baby, because that's exactly how I felt after watching this junk.

Rating:
Summary: It's newborn. It's alive. And murder is what it knows best.
Review: We're pushed (or dragged) from our mothers' wombs kicking, screaming, disorientated, all misshaped, covered in viscous goo, and just generally unhappy, but it's not surprising, as the world can be a cold, harsh place, unlike that from hence we came. Let's face it, once the cord is cut, you're out there, for better or worse...now usually things settle after the birth, as babies settle into a regular routine of sleeping, crying, drooling, eating, and messing their pants, allowing for those that brought them into this world to take care of all their needs, as they're are totally helpless and completely dependant on the kindness of others...right? That's pretty much what I thought, and so did Mr. And Mrs. Davis...but we were both wrong....so very wrong...

It's Alive (1974), not to be confused with the dreadful 1969 Larry Buchanan made for TV movie of the same name, was written and directed by the extremely multi-faceted schlock auteur Larry Cohen, who's had some recent successes with stories produced into the films Phone Booth (2002), Cellular (2004), and Captivity, scheduled for 2004, but will probably see a release in '05. It's Alive stars John P. Ryan (Class of 1999) and Sharon Farrell (Night of the Comet). Also appearing is William Wellman Jr. (The Puppet Masters), James Dixon (Q: The Winged Serpent), and Andrew Duggan (Bone).

Frank (Ryan) and Lenore (Farrell) Davis are expecting a baby...and now it's hospital time as the birth is nearing. Things appear normal, but difficulties arise as the doctor estimates the bambino a whopping 11 pounds (ouch!)...what they don't know (at least until it's born), is that, not only is this one big baby, but it has some unusual features, like extended fangs, claws, and a humongoid head, along with the creepiest eyes I've seen this side of Bette Davis. Oh yeah, it also possesses a thirst for flesh and is extremely mobile, which is evident as it kills all those within the delivery room (except Lenore) in short order and then runs off (what a lil' rascal), escaping by breaking through a skylight, leaving no witnesses and everyone wondering just what the heck happened (Lenore is no help, claiming she was out of it the whole time). The answers do not come quickly, but the bodies sure do, as brutally mutated victims begin popping up in the surrounding community and the Davis' gain unwanted notoriety as the couple that spawned a killer freak. The police soon begin a manhunt (or, infanthunt, to be more accurate...well, to be completely accurate, I'd call it a freakymonsterbabyhunt, but that's a mouthful), as no one knows where the terrifying tot will strike next, or what its' motivations are...at least those past its' seemingly insatiable hunger...for HUMAN FLESH!

It's Alive is probably one of the best exploitation films I've seen come from the 70's. It's listed as a horror film, but viewers expecting over-the-top gore will be sorely disappointed. Instead, what Larry Cohen brings forth is a sort of realistic drama/thriller, one that features a freakish, mutant cannibal baby...no easy feat, I'll tell you what. As with his 1982 film Q (it's about a giant winged serpent terrorizing New York), the characters presented are infused with a perceived sense of realism, like these are people you might or could know, people who actually reside in the same world as you. Sure, there's that completely unrealistic element of the hideous mutant cannibal baby, but when the two are combined, Cohen creates a story that almost exists beyond the screen, and will causes the hair on the back of your neck to continue standing long after the movie is over. Some will feel the pacing is too slow, extended periods where nothing happens, but I felt this was deliberate, as to not only allow for the tension to build, but also to focus on the development of the characters, the main ones, finding themselves having to deal with this completely unique and terrifying experience, along with incorporating various other aspects involving local law enforcement, the medical establishment, and the pharmaceutical industry (it's thought maybe the child was a result of long term usage of a certain medication) and their own, particular views and opinions of the situation. I thought John P. Ryan was really good as the distraught father, living in denial. His character actually scared me almost more than the creature, as he appeared to me as a pot always on the verge of boiling over, or a taught piece of twine near its' snapping point. He's got serious anger management issues (don't tell him I said that). I also thought Sharon Farrell did well, the mother suffering from a sort of post-partum depression of not only the birth, but of her now on-the-lam child, filling her time with meaningless tasks avoiding the horror of her birthing of a mutant, but also the very real possibility that it will soon be dispatched by local law enforcement, or her husband, as his abject rejection of the abomination along with his anger management issues forces him to take matters into his own hands. One thing you'll notice about Cohen films is they often look like they're made on a low budget, but I think, while he may not have the money of others, he makes the most of what he has, often filming on location, adding to the overall sense of reality...think Martin Scorsese's Mean Streets (1973) or Frank Henenlotter's Basket Case (1982)...and the musical scoring by the legendary Bernard Herrmann adds so much. The effects aren't great, but they are notable as an early work of special effects master Rick Baker.

I thought the widescreen picture looked pretty good here (much better than the VHS copy I had), although I thought the audio a bit soft. Special features include a commentary track by Larry Cohen and a trailer for this film along with the sequels, It Lives Again (1978) and It's Alive III: Island of the Alive (1987), both also available on DVD.

Cookieman108